Beth Hunter
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Hunter (née Walters, previously Sutherland) is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven
soap opera Home and Away
, played by Clarissa House
. She made her first on-screen appearance on 17 April 2003. The character departed on 30 January 2007. The character died from injuries sustained in a car crash in on 23 April 2007.
One of Beth's main romances is with Tony Holden
(Jon Sivewright
). Sivewright said that both Beth and Tony have got "very good attitudes towards their kids" and are supportive to them and the community. Beth and Tony support each other when making parental decisions, even if they did not personally agree with the other's actions. Sivewright said that "even though Tony would question what Beth was doing, he was still supporting her. That’s what Beth does with Tony as well."
Beth features in many emotional storylines. House has said that after she had filmed an emotional scene, she excerised to forget about her character's feelings.
(Kip Gamblin
), Kit
(Amy Mizzi
), Robbie
(Jason Smith
), Henry (Tobi Atkins
) and Matilda (Indiana Evans
). Beth was married to Jack (Ian Lind), the father of her five children until his death in 2002. Beth had known about Jack's ongoing affair with Valerie Squires (Denise Roberts
) and did not tell the children, thinking it would hurt their family. It later emerges Scott knew secretly and kept it to himself for the same reason as Beth.
Beth arrives in Summer Bay and meets Rhys Sutherland
(Michael Beckley
) when their respective eldest children, Scott and Dani (Tammin Sursok
) become a couple. When Kit arrives and begins drinking excessively, Rhys is on hand to support Beth.
After Kit leaves for rehab, Beth and Rhys become a couple and Rhys later proposes. Following money troubles, Beth is forced to pull the rest of her children from their boarding schools and they all move in with the Sutherlands. In early 2004, Beth and Rhys marry in an intimate ceremony on the beach with most of the family attending and Alf Stewart
(Ray Meagher
) and Colleen Smart
(Lyn Collingwood
) as witnesses. The day is marred when Rhy's daughter Kirsty (Christie Hayes
) elopes with her fiance Kane Phillips
(Sam Atwell
) and argument ensues and Beth is forced to keep the peace.
Beth and Rhy's marriage is tested numerous times by the many dramas of their combined brood, but nothing can prepare them for the return of Rhy's ex-wife,Shelley
(Paula Forrest
) when Kirsty suffers kidney problems and needs a transplant. Rhys gradually falls in love with Shelley again and leaves Summer Bay, breaking Beth's heart. Wanting to move on with her life, Beth reverts to her previous married name and swaps houses with Sally Fletcher
(Kate Ritchie
) and Flynn Saunders
(Joel McIlroy
). When her new neighbour, widower Tony Holden arrives, Beth is taken with him and they become a couple.
Graham Walters (Doug Scroope), Beth's father arrives in Summer Bay announcing he has sold his farm and when it is revealed he has married the much younger Amanda Vale
(Holly Brisley
), Beth is disgusted and constantly finds herself at odds with Amanda, as she had previously tried to manipulate Scott into believing she was pregnant. When Graham suffers a massive heart attack and recovers in hospital, he makes peace with Beth, telling her that he does not want to continue living should he suffer a relapse. Graham suffers another heart attack and is pronounced brain dead. Beth and Amanda battle over turning the machine off. Amanda wins the fight and is pleased as she is Graham's wife and needs to keep him alive in order to render the pre-nuptial agreement invalid and gain his assets. Robbie later turns the machine off and Beth is shocked but understanding. Beth tells Amanda she does not care about the money but wants Graham's war medals, which Amanda later gives her.
Feeling trapped and longing to puruse her dreams of travelling the world, Beth is ready to go but Tony is firmly settled in Summer Bay. Tony supports her and she leaves to visit Scott and his partner Hayley Smith
(Bec Cartwright) and their son, Noah in France
then she visits visits Robbie, his wife Tasha (Isabel Lucas
) and their daughter Ella in America. On the day Beth is due to return home, Kit goes into labour and Tony decides to wait for her to return. After Beth fails to appear, he assumes she has gone directly to the hospital and leaves to find her. On the way, Tony discovers a serious road traffic accident and is stopped by his son Jack (Paul O'Brien
), who is one of the police officers on the scene who tries to break it to him that the body recovered from the wreckage is Beth. Tony, Kit and Matilda are left devastated and a memorial service for Beth is held in Summer Bay before her body is buried in her home town of Adelaide
.
said that the episode featuring Beth and Rhys' wedding was better suited to "die hard fans". They criticised the plot for being "unengaging" and opined that the music, performances and dialogue were "painful" and "patchy".
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
soap opera Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, played by Clarissa House
Clarissa House
Clarissa House is an Australian actress who played Beth Hunter Sutherland in the soap opera Home and Away.Previous work includes a short stint on the '90s titillating Channel Nine drama Chances....
. She made her first on-screen appearance on 17 April 2003. The character departed on 30 January 2007. The character died from injuries sustained in a car crash in on 23 April 2007.
Character development
The serial's official website described Beth as an "open-minded" female who holds a "strong sense of personal morality and integrity". When characters get to know Beth she shows a "delicious sense of humour". Beth is portrayed as a country girl who did not see herself as "anything but a farmer's wife" whilst married to Jack Hunter. Marriage and family mean everything to Beth and she also ignored her husband's affair to keep her family together. They also said that Beth's "world fell apart" when Jack died.One of Beth's main romances is with Tony Holden
Tony Holden (Home and Away character)
Anthony "Tony" Holden is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Jon Sivewright. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 August 2005. As of 2010 Sivewright was the joint second longest-serving current male cast member in...
(Jon Sivewright
Jon Sivewright
Jon Sivewright in Fremantle is an Australian actor. He is best known for portraying Tony Holden inHome and Away, a role he played from 2005–2010- Biography :...
). Sivewright said that both Beth and Tony have got "very good attitudes towards their kids" and are supportive to them and the community. Beth and Tony support each other when making parental decisions, even if they did not personally agree with the other's actions. Sivewright said that "even though Tony would question what Beth was doing, he was still supporting her. That’s what Beth does with Tony as well."
Beth features in many emotional storylines. House has said that after she had filmed an emotional scene, she excerised to forget about her character's feelings.
Storylines
Beth is the mother of ScottScott Hunter (Home and Away)
Scott John Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kip Gamblin. He made his first on-screen appearance on 23 January 2003. The character was riding a white horse onto the beach, where he was spotted by Dani Sutherland...
(Kip Gamblin
Kip Gamblin
-Career:Gamblin trained as a ballet dancer at the The McDonald College of Performing Arts, Sydney and completed his training at the Australian Ballet School, Melbourne. He performed with the Australian Ballet, the West Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company between 1994 and 2002, and had...
), Kit
Kit Hunter
Catherine Matilda "Kit" Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Amy Mizzi. Kit made her first on-screen appearance on 25 April 2003 and made her final appearence as a regular character in February 2004 but continued to reappear in a...
(Amy Mizzi
Amy Mizzi
Amy Mizzi is an Australian actress. She starred as Kit Hunter in the Australian soap opera Home and Away in 2003 and early 2004. Mizzi's departure from Home and Away was announced on 13 February 2004 but she continued to appear on a recurring basis throughout 2004 and returned in August 2005...
), Robbie
Robbie Hunter (Home and Away)
Robert George "Robbie" Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Jason Smith. He made his first on screen appearance on 25 November 2003 and departed on 10 October 2006...
(Jason Smith
Jason Smith
Jason Smith may refer to:*Jason Smith , Australian actor*Jason Smith , New Orleans Hornets power forward*Jason Smith , American football player for the St...
), Henry (Tobi Atkins
Tobi Atkins
Tobi Atkins is an Australian actor. He is the son of David Atkins. He used to play the role of Henry Hunter in the soap opera Home and Away who was the son of Beth Hunter , a twin brother to Matilda Hunter...
) and Matilda (Indiana Evans
Indiana Evans
Indiana Rose Evans is an Australian actress and singer best known for her role as Matilda Hunter in the soap opera Home and Away and as Isabella "Bella" Hartley in the children's show H2O: Just Add Water.-Early life:...
). Beth was married to Jack (Ian Lind), the father of her five children until his death in 2002. Beth had known about Jack's ongoing affair with Valerie Squires (Denise Roberts
Denise Roberts
Denise Roberts is an Australian actor and director who has worked in theatre, film and television since 1980. She gained initial fame when she played Julie Winters in the ABC-TV medical drama G.P. from 1989 to 1996. Denise's mentor was Hayes Gordon, with whom she studied solidly for three years...
) and did not tell the children, thinking it would hurt their family. It later emerges Scott knew secretly and kept it to himself for the same reason as Beth.
Beth arrives in Summer Bay and meets Rhys Sutherland
Rhys Sutherland
Rhys Sutherland is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by actor Michael Beckley from 2000 to late 2004....
(Michael Beckley
Michael Beckley
Michael Beckley is an Australian actor. He played Rhys Sutherland in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away. He has also appeared in Water Rats, Farscape and A Country Practice. He appeared in Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre in London as Ernst Ludwig and as part of the Mamma Mia...
) when their respective eldest children, Scott and Dani (Tammin Sursok
Tammin Sursok
Tammin Pamela Sursok is an Australian actress and musician of South African origin. She is best known for the role of Dani Sutherland on Home and Away, as Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless and as Siena in Disney Channel's Hannah Montana...
) become a couple. When Kit arrives and begins drinking excessively, Rhys is on hand to support Beth.
After Kit leaves for rehab, Beth and Rhys become a couple and Rhys later proposes. Following money troubles, Beth is forced to pull the rest of her children from their boarding schools and they all move in with the Sutherlands. In early 2004, Beth and Rhys marry in an intimate ceremony on the beach with most of the family attending and Alf Stewart
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
(Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher surname pronouned "Marr" , is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid 1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the...
) and Colleen Smart
Colleen Smart
Colleen Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Lyn Collingwood. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 7 March 1988. She was introduced as a recurring character by producer Alan Bateman. She served as comic relief...
(Lyn Collingwood
Lyn Collingwood
Lyn Collingwood is an Australian actress. Collingwood was cast as Colleen Smart on Home and Away and was recurring character in 1988–1989, and returned in 1997 for one episode and then returned in 1999 as regular character....
) as witnesses. The day is marred when Rhy's daughter Kirsty (Christie Hayes
Christie Hayes
Christie Lynne Hayes is an Australian actress, best known for her work on the television series Home and Away as Kirsty Phillips who she played from June 2000 to February 2005 and again from May 2008 to October 2009. Hayes is the sister of actress Katherine Hayes.-Personal life:Hayes is the...
) elopes with her fiance Kane Phillips
Kane Phillips
Kane Phillips is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Sam Atwell in 2001 and 2002, as a regular cast member from 2003 to 2005 and on a recurring basis again from 2008–2009-2001-05:...
(Sam Atwell
Sam Atwell
Samuel Atwell is an Australian television and movie actor perhaps best known for his role as Kane Phillips in the soap opera Home and Away. Born in Nambour, Queensland, he and his family lived in Indonesia for 6 years before returning to Queensland where he grew up in Brisbane...
) and argument ensues and Beth is forced to keep the peace.
Beth and Rhy's marriage is tested numerous times by the many dramas of their combined brood, but nothing can prepare them for the return of Rhy's ex-wife,Shelley
Shelley Sutherland
Michelle "Shelley" Sutherland is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by actress Paula Forrest from 2000-2002, 2003, 2004, 2009....
(Paula Forrest
Paula Forrest
Paula Forrest is an Australian actress, best known for playing the role of Shelley Sutherland on the long-running Australian soap opera Home and Away...
) when Kirsty suffers kidney problems and needs a transplant. Rhys gradually falls in love with Shelley again and leaves Summer Bay, breaking Beth's heart. Wanting to move on with her life, Beth reverts to her previous married name and swaps houses with Sally Fletcher
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
(Kate Ritchie
Kate Ritchie
Katherine "Kate" Ritchie is an Australian actress, best known for her long-running role as Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera Home and Away. She played the character for 20 years from 1988–2008...
) and Flynn Saunders
Flynn Saunders
Dr Flynn Saunders is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Joel McIlroy. The character was originally played by Martin Dingle-Wall from 2001 until 2002. He made his first on-screen appearance on 13 July 2001....
(Joel McIlroy
Joel McIlroy
Joel McIlroy is an Australian actor, best known for being the second actor to take on the role of Flynn Saunders, a character of the popular soap opera Home and Away. McIlroy took over the role of Flynn in 2003 after Martin Dingle-Wall left the role in 2002.-Early years:Joel McIlroy grew up in the...
). When her new neighbour, widower Tony Holden arrives, Beth is taken with him and they become a couple.
Graham Walters (Doug Scroope), Beth's father arrives in Summer Bay announcing he has sold his farm and when it is revealed he has married the much younger Amanda Vale
Amanda Vale
Amanda Baker , is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Holly Brisley. She made her first on-screen appearance on 30 June 2005 and departed in 2007. The character returned for a brief guest appearances in 2008 and 2009.-Casting:Brisley reprised her role of...
(Holly Brisley
Holly Brisley
Holly Brisley is an Australian actress and television presenter. She began her career at the age of 15 on Agro's Cartoon Connection and more recently portrayed Amanda Vale-Baker on Home And Away...
), Beth is disgusted and constantly finds herself at odds with Amanda, as she had previously tried to manipulate Scott into believing she was pregnant. When Graham suffers a massive heart attack and recovers in hospital, he makes peace with Beth, telling her that he does not want to continue living should he suffer a relapse. Graham suffers another heart attack and is pronounced brain dead. Beth and Amanda battle over turning the machine off. Amanda wins the fight and is pleased as she is Graham's wife and needs to keep him alive in order to render the pre-nuptial agreement invalid and gain his assets. Robbie later turns the machine off and Beth is shocked but understanding. Beth tells Amanda she does not care about the money but wants Graham's war medals, which Amanda later gives her.
Feeling trapped and longing to puruse her dreams of travelling the world, Beth is ready to go but Tony is firmly settled in Summer Bay. Tony supports her and she leaves to visit Scott and his partner Hayley Smith
Hayley Smith (Home and Away)
Hayley Rose Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was portrayed from September 1998 to September 2005 by actress Bec Cartwright and from September to November 2005 by Ella Scott Lynch, after Cartwright left the show for personal...
(Bec Cartwright) and their son, Noah in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
then she visits visits Robbie, his wife Tasha (Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas is an Australian actress and model perhaps best known for her role as Tasha Andrews on the Australian television soap opera Home and Away...
) and their daughter Ella in America. On the day Beth is due to return home, Kit goes into labour and Tony decides to wait for her to return. After Beth fails to appear, he assumes she has gone directly to the hospital and leaves to find her. On the way, Tony discovers a serious road traffic accident and is stopped by his son Jack (Paul O'Brien
Paul O'Brien
Paul O'Brien is a South-African-born Australian actor.-Biography:Paul O'Brien was born on 14 April in South Africa, and grew up in Australia. He spent several years on the Gold Coast, with his family...
), who is one of the police officers on the scene who tries to break it to him that the body recovered from the wreckage is Beth. Tony, Kit and Matilda are left devastated and a memorial service for Beth is held in Summer Bay before her body is buried in her home town of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Reception
Sacha Molitorisz of The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
said that the episode featuring Beth and Rhys' wedding was better suited to "die hard fans". They criticised the plot for being "unengaging" and opined that the music, performances and dialogue were "painful" and "patchy".
External links
- Character profile at the Official AU Home and Away website
- Character profile at the Official UK Home and Away website
- Character profile at Homeandaway.com.au
- Character profile at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...